Rear-discharge attachment for blue-print driers



May 15, 1928. 1,669,552

H. J. BRUNK REAR DISCHARGE ATTACHMENT FOR BLUE PRINT DRIERS Filed Nov.8. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 H. J. BRUNK REAR DISCHARGE ATTACHMENT FOR BLUEPRINT DRIERS May 15, 1928.

Filed Nov. 8. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 P172062 #04 :52? 0166- I yw/ 0%,

" Patented May 15,1928.

" UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD 3'. ZBRUNK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS ASSIGNOR TO 0. F. PEASD COMPANY,A

' CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS. 4

BEAR-DISCHARGE ATTACHMENT FOR BLUE-PRINT DRIERS.

Application sl d flovember e, 1926. Serial No. 146,870.

. This invention relates to improvements in drying machines, and moreparticularly to the belt and drum type of machine used in dryingblueprints and other photographic prints after they have been washed. InPatent No. 1,564,775, issued December 8, 1925, to myself and Charles A.Green, as

. joint inventors, there is shown and described a machine in which thewet blueprints are" charge the prints at the rear of the heating.

drum, instead of in the front of the same. The object of the presentinvention is to provide means for discharging the prints at the rear ofthe heating drumeven though said prints enter atthe front and have to becarried nearly around the drum in order to allow enough time for thedrying. Another'object is to provide a rear discharging device of thischaracter in the form of an attachment for a drying machine of the typeshown'in said patent. In the drawings, I have illustrated one embodiment of the invention.

dr ing machine and the attachment.

ig. 2 is a similar view with certain parts omitted. Fig. 3 is a frontelevation of the apparatus.

comprises a frame 10 having side members and suitable transverseconnecting members. The heatin or drying drum is shown at ll-mountedhorizontally between the side frame members and supported insuch'position by means of rollers 12 carried by each of the side framesand extending inwardly from the latter into the opposite open ends ofthe drum. Three of these rollers, spaced 5o equi-distant, are showncarried-by each side frame and these enga e metal bands 13 of steel orthe like carrledinteriorly of the Other situations Figure 1 is a sideelevation of part of the Referring td the drawings, the machine ing drum11, except for the bands 13 thereof, entirely of copper in the form of aseamless tube.

A gas burner 14 in the form of a perfo:

rated pipe extends through the drum 11 and is mounted at its oppositeends in the side frames. This burner pipe is capped at one "end,-as at15, and at its gther end said pipe connects with the supply pipe 16, thelatter having therein a suitable mixing valve 17 and cut-off valve 18.The side frames overlie the open ends of the drum except for theopenings. 19 through which access may be had to the interior of thedrumand to the burner. I

A heat regulator 20 is provided having calibrated dial 21 whereby thetemperature of the drying drum may be regulated as explained more fullyin said prior patent; Surrounding the drum 11 and suitabl spacedtherefrom are a. plurality of Mnzontally-disposed rollers, 23, 24, 25and 26, over which and the drum passes the conveying and driving belt27. The roller 23 is mounted with the opposite ends of its shaftjournaled in suitable bearing grooves 28 .provided in the front edges ofthe side frame members. Roller 24 is removably journaled across the topedges of the side frames;

Roller 25 is journaled in the upper forked.

ends 29 of levers 3O pivoted at 31 on the inner sides of the framemembers. The levers 30 may be adjusted on their pivots 31 to regulate orcontrol the tension ofthe belt 27, these adjustments being effectedthrough screw threaded rods 32, which engage loosely through openings 33in' the lower ends of the levers 30, nuts 34 and coiled springs 35, thelatter being anchored at one end, to the frame members and at theirouter ends being connected to the ends of the rods .32. Thus by turningnuts 34 in one direction or the other, the roller 25 may be moved toeither increase or decrease the tension of the belt. The forward roller26 is journaled at its opposite ends in blocks 36 slidably carried on.rods 37 anchored at their forward ends in the side frames, as at 38, andat their rear ends to members 39, which are fixed to the side frames atthe rearof said blocks. Screw threaded rods 40 engage through theseblocks 36 and extend substandrum immediately adjacent its oppositeopentially arallel to the rods 37, said rods 40.

ends. It is preferable to construct the drybeing JOUIIlfilGd at theirrear ends members 39 and at their forward ends are provided with handwheels 41 whereby the blocks 36 and hence roller 26 may be ad justedback and forth upon the rods 37, this arrangement also providing foradjusting and regulating the tension of the belt. With this arrangementit will also be observed that either end of the roller 26 may beadjusted independently of the other end thereof in orderto keep the beltcentrally disposed with relation to the; drum and rollers and to preventlateral creeping thereof. The blocks 36 each carry a forwardlyprojecting arm or bracket 42 to which are secured the opposite ends of afixed transverse rod 43, the belt 27 in its travel over or around roller26 passing between the latter and this rod 43. v

Reference numeral 44 designates the feed run of the belt and,-aspreviously described, is inclined upwardly at a tangent to the heatingor drying drum. Immediately be neath the feed run of the belt andextending between the side frame members and attached thereto, there ispositioned a fixed table 45, conveniently termed a feeding table, saidtable providing a rigid and firm support forthat portion of the beltupon which the prints are fed to the machine. This enables the operatorto spread the prints evenly and smoothly on the belt without danger ofwrinkling or otherwise injuring the same.

A suitable motor is provided for rotating the roller 23, throughmechanism which need not be described in detail, and the other rollers24, 25, 26, which are idlers, are rotated by the belt 27. The prints arethus carried around the drum, preferably more than half way, and, in anycase, far enough to permit the necessary drying, said prints being fedin at the bottom and returning over the top of the drum to the frontthereof. They are then released and carried to the rear by the followingmechanism, which may have the form of an attachment to the main machine.

A plurality of narrow belts or straps 46- are arranged to pass over aseries of substantially horizontal. rollers 47, 48, 49, 50, as shown.The roller 47 is mounted in a pair of side members 51 arranged to beconveniently secured to .the side frame of the main machine. Beds 52 arearranged near the rollers 48 and 49, and are provided with a series offingers 53 which project between the narrow belts and serve to guide thesame and maintain the spacing. Rollers 48 and 49 are supported onsuitable brackets 54 bolted or otherwise secured to the main frame ofthe machine. As will be seen, the belts 46 are in contact with the mainbelt 27 during part of the return movement of that span which istraveling from front to rear.

A pipe 55 is suitably supported by the drum. The print tends to followthe drum I durin part of its rotation, but it is not only moved awayfrom said drum by the ets of air issuing from the nozzles 56, as soon asthe belt leaves the drum on a tangent, but

is swung forwardly enough to engage the narrow belts 46 as they and themain belt converge, in passing around the roller 23. The air, afterstripping the print from the drum escapes to the front of themachine.

between the narrow belts and thus supports the edge of the print untilit is caught between the upper and lower belts. The location of saidnozzles with reference to the drum and belts referred to, is ofconsiderable importance,- there being many positions in which theissuing prints will not remove themselves fron1 tl1e drum and advancesmoothly between v the converging belts, but will fold over or wrinkleor otherwise cause trouble. VVith-the nozzles in the position shown,however, the prints are detached from the drum and blown from the samefar enough to engage the narrow belts properly and to be drawn by saidnarrow belts over the main belt and carried between the two around therollers 23 and 24 to the roller 50, at. which point the narrow beltsbegin their return movement and the print is discharged into anysuitable receptacle or guide, such as 59, at the rear of the drum.

With this arrangement, it will be seen that prints fed in at the frontof the drum may be carried more than half way around the same, but,nevertheless, discharged eventually at the rear of said-drum where theymay conveniently be removed by an operator stationed there for thepurpose. Furthermore, the machine operates equally as well with a numberof small prints arranged side by side on the belt, and regardless ofwhether said prints are carefully placed on said belt with'their edgesparallel to the sidesof said belt, or whether said prints are turned tovarious diagonal positions, in a ha -hazard manner.

lthough the prints are described as moving from front to rear u anddown, 6130., it is to be understood t at while the path of travel shownis the preferred one, I use these terms in a relative sense 'forconvenienoe, and contemplate other relative arrangements, forexample, amovement of the prints down toward the drum and upwardly away from thesame, and other angles of feed and discharge.

I claim:

1. In a drying machine, a drum, means for heating the same, a pluralityof rollers, a belt passing over said rollers and around said drum, meansfor driving said rollers, said belt in passing from one of said rollersto said drum, traveling in an upwardly inclined direction tangentialythereto and more than half way around said drum to another roller andback to said first roller to release the fabric being dried, a secondbelt out of contact with said dum and traveling toward and overlyingsaid first belt, and means for directing air toward the point Where saidfirst belt leaves said drum in order to direct the print issuingtherefrom between said two belts.

2. In a device of the class described, a belt carrying prints half wayaround a heating drum, a second belt overlying said first belt on partof its return path, and means for directing air tangentially toward saiddrum to remove prints therefrom and direct them between said two belts.

3. An attachment for a drier of the belt drum type wherein a main belttravels rearwardly to the heating drum and upwardly around the same tothe front thereof, and thence back to the starting position, comprisinga plurality of small belts overlying the return section of said mainbelt, and means for directing air upwardly against said drum adjacentthe point where the main belt leaves the same.

4. An attachment for driers having a drum and a main belt withsupporting rollers, two of said rollers being arranged in front of saiddrum, a plurality of additional rollers, and a series of narrow beltspassing over the same and in engagement with said main belt during partof its return travel, a pipe, a source of compressed air therefor, aseries of nozzles directed upwardly and slightly to the rear of thefront of said drum whereby said air moves the prints being dried, awayfrom said drum, and directs them between said main belt and said narrowbelts enabling themto be carried to the rear of said drum and bedischarged.

5. A device of the class described comprising a drying drum, an endlessbelt, supporting rollers therefor arranged to permit said belt to travelrearwardly toward thebottom of said drum and upwardly around the same,

leaving said drum in a downwardly and forwardly direction, thenceupwardly and rearwardly and downwardly and forwardly to the startingposition, and means for causing a photographic print to adhere to and becarried rcarwardly by said belt after it leaves said drum, whereby saidprint may be carried around said drum to dry it and thereafter bedelivered at the rear of said drum on the opposite side from that onwhich the drying operation is completed.

6. A machine of the class described comprising a rotatable drying drum,a set of rollers spaced from the drum, an endless belt on said rollershaving one run thereof in contact with said drum for carrying sheets tobe dried around the drum in contact with the same, a second set ofrollers having an endless belt thereon one run of which contacts withthe reverse run of said first belt for carrying the dried sheets as theyissue from said first belt and drum to discharging position at the rearof the drum.

7. The combination with a rotatable drying drum of an endless belthaving one run my name. 7

HAROLD J. BRUNK.

